"Visions of Belonging: Jews, Turks, and other Germans"
Press Invitation to Anniversary Symposium with Hamed Abdel-Samad, Susan Neiman, Harald Welzer, and Others
Press Release, Fri 7 Oct 2011
What is German in the 21st century? How do the people living there feel about Germany? A Germany that – through the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of the two German states, and the recognition that almost 20 % of its citizens have a so-called migration background – has visibly altered. At this anniversary symposium, to which we cordially invite you, the state of the nation will be examined from a variety of perspectives. The symposium begins on Friday 28 October 2011 with a review by young international experts of Germany’s cultural diversity entitled "Eine kleine deutsche Volkskunde." On Saturday 29 October, renowned religious scholars, social scientists, philosophers, politicians, and journalists will explore the new social realities in three panel discussions. A short talk by Harald Welzer, a reading with Sayed Kashua and Burghart Klaußner, and a concert by Daniel Kahn & Psoy Korolenko round off the program.
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Press office
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presse@jmberlin.de - Address
Jewish Museum Berlin Foundation
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10969 Berlin
With the symposium, the Jewish Museum Berlin continues the theme of anniversary exhibition "How German is it? 30 Artists’ Notion of Home" and at the same time offers a preview of the future program focus of the Jewish Museum Academy. Alongside researching and communicating the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry, the planned JMB academy broadens the focus to include issues related to integration and cultural diversity in Germany and Europe.
"Eine kleine deutsche Volkskunde" begins the anniversary symposium on 28 October
German society today is more colorful and diverse than it was in the 1950s. It could never be described as a homogeneous society – a fact that is no longer disputed. The Jewish Museum has invited young international academics to speak about their research on Germany.
| Participants | Mischa Gabowitsch (Einstein Forum), Adriana Lettrari (Project "3te Generation Ostdeutschland"), Jannis Panagiotidis (European University Institute Florence), and others |
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| Moderated by | Ijoma Mangold (DIE ZEIT) |
| When | Friday 28 October at 8 pm |
| Where | Glass Courtyard on ground level |
Anniversary Symposium on Saturday 29 October
| 10.30 to 11 am |
What Use is Identity?
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| 1.30 am to 1 pm |
Panel 1: Immigration Country Against its own Will: What is the Situation in Germany?Germany is an immigration country and has been one for a long while. How can German migration policy be evaluated – from historical and contemporary perspectives? |
| 2 to 3.30 pm |
Panel 2: "Islam is Part of Germany"Reactions against Islam and Muslims have increased measurably and tangibly. Anti-Muslim resentment is seeping through broad sections of society and resulting in gradual poisoning. How did this come about? And can the idea of an open-minded society be saved? |
| 5.30 to 7 pm |
Panel 3: Visions of Belonging: Jews and Muslims in Europe and the USAIn the 19th century, Jews were obliged to and for the most part did adapt to the norms and values of German mainstream society – a process that was brutally destroyed by Nazism. Today the questions of relationships between religion, state, and belonging are faced anew. The panel explores the role that Jews and Muslims can and should play in a secular Christian and heterogeneous society in Germany, Europe, and the USA. |
| 4 to 5.30 pm |
Sayed Kashua: "Zweite Person Singular" (Second person singular)
In his novel, Sayed Kashua tells the skillfully woven story of two Arab Israelis whose burning desire is to be part of Jewish Israel. They do everything in their power to lose not only their foreignness, but also their Arab culture, which they see as backward. They seek their salvation in the promises of pop culture and Western individualism that make everything seem possible. The actor Burghart Klaußner reads the German text and interviews the author. |
| 8 to 10 pm |
Concluding the Symposium:
A performance by the music artist from Detroit, Daniel Kahn, and the avant-garde singer from Moscow, Psoy Korolenko, will round off the anniversary symposium. In their "distorted klezmer," they mix klezmer, punk, and folklore – in English, Yiddish, and Russian! In their music, Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird unite the best of American folksongs in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger with Yiddish protest songs. |
The anniversary symposium is a cooperation with the Einstein Forum and the "DeutschPlus – Initiative."
| When | Saturday 29 October from 10.30 am to 10 pm |
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| Where | All symposium events (excluding the reading with Sayed Kashua) will be held in the Glass Courtyard. |
| Symposium admission fee | 13 €, reduced rate 9 € (including evening program concert on Friday) |
| Admission to the evening program on Friday | 7 €, reduced rate 5 euros |
| Admission to the concert on Saturday | 5 € (on the evening) |
